The Light of Asteria (33 page)

The viridian arms of the forest embraced the
widening road, and the castle grew with every step. With one quick
kiss, Gavin let go of my hand. As in the land’s tradition, we now
formed two lines. The men were in front with Gavin a few steps
ahead of the guard. I was a few yards behind; Rena and Elaine
mirrored Tark and Elias.

My heart leapt to my throat as I spied the
first elves of Kailmeyra. A middle-aged couple stood by a dwelling
similar to the old thatched roof cottages of Ireland. They were
dressed in the same simple style of clothing I had on. It seemed as
if they had been tending a garden and we came upon them
unexpectedly. They gracefully knelt on one knee and bowed in
respect. We silently walked past and headed toward the massive
stone structure now just several hundred yards away. A crowd
quickly gathered as news of the prince’s arrival flooded the
kingdom.

The front of the fortress had been carved
from the mountain’s precipice and went up about ten stories in
height. Guard towers dominated the outer wall; any structure on
earth would have paled in comparison. The back of the castle was
completely encased in the mountain, giving the appearance that this
enormous rock formation had naturally grown out of its base. The
stone was the same light gray that made up the mountain’s apex, and
the lush green life cascading down the sides was reminiscent of
home.

As soon as we passed, the kneeling crowd
stood and joined us, following at a distance. Methodical shuffling
of feet on the dirt road combined with the gentle sounds of nature;
the lack of voices made the experience surreal. We tenaciously made
our way to the front gates, which were comprised of heavy black
metal and stone. They looked as if they were designed as a defense,
and I had a feeling they had not been shut since the Great War with
the Dokkalfar. Gavin’s nod confirmed my theory was correct. The
walls of the castle were not blocks of stone, but seemed to be one
solid piece and were about six feet thick. How did they manage
that? I reminded myself to start a mental list of everything I
wanted to know, and this was the first question on it.

Sky blue blazed brilliantly over the open
courtyard, and a wave rippled through the sea of kinsmen as they
knelt. The emotions from his subjects were so overpowering, I
pulled my shield to a solid blue. They came at me from every
direction—shock and judgment fanned the blistering anger. My eyes
never left Gavin’s back.

I tried not to think about the various aromas
demanding my attention. It seemed every scent I had ever known was
under my nose. My forehead wrinkled for a moment, but I immediately
smoothed it out to hide the reaction. I now realized it was the
combined scent of all of the elves together amassed in the
courtyard. I started breathing through my mouth.

A perfect circle of marble sculptures stood
like ghostly sentinels in the courtyard’s center. Brilliant white
contrasted with veins of blue that had been smoothed with artistic
technique and time. I shivered as we passed the first monolith. In
this moment, I understood the gravity of the situation. Gavin was
the sole heir to the throne; he was the only descendant of King
Frey. He had an obligation to these people transcending almost
anything. He would not leave his responsibilities because of me,
and we agreed we would not be parted again. That left only one
solution … we had to get the queen to acquiesce.

My thoughts of his home had always been two
dimensional and naive. I imagined Kailmeyra as a utopian society in
which negativity did not exist. I now understood darker emotions
within themselves are not evil. It is the intent of the person who
feels them that determines their fate. Free will obviously worked
the same here as it did on earth. Edna’s sweet southern drawl
echoed in my mind.
You cannot choose how people treat you,
Sunny, but you can choose how to react to it.
In a way, she was
expressing the same sentiment. Your emotions were your own. I hoped
my newfound insight would help us get through the web of
complications we now faced.

The energy emanating from the mountain’s
threshold matched the afternoon heavens. My heart warmed at the
site of the familiar power. Elfish writing embossed the top of the
archway, and was reminiscent of the mantle in the Appalachia.
Making a mental note to ask Gavin what was inscribed, I kept my
head high and eyes focused on the back of his neck.

Orbs of light bounced on the sides of the
walls, and shadows danced between their reach, illuminating a long,
stone corridor. Gavin’s emotions begged for my thoughts, and I
brought my shield from a solid to a thick fog. His creature sighed
in relief as I expressed appreciation for the beauty of his
home.

A guard unexpectedly appeared in front of
Gavin. As he bowed, anger tumbled around me. It was obvious he was
telling Gavin something that displeased him, and the order Gavin
gave back was not what he expected. He briefly flashed his
surprised eyes to the prince and then immediately lowered them as
Elias took a menacing step forward. The guard’s bow deepened in an
apology, and with the same significant salute, he quickly walked
away.

Our steps became hurried as we made it past
the first two corridors. Finally, the third passageway veered off
to the right. At this point, we were so deep in the mountain I was
sure I would never find my way out on my own. The alcove at the end
of the hall held only one door; we hastily walked through. The
guard stopped, Gavin reached behind, and I took his hand. We walked
up the three flights of stairs, entering the bedchambers.

Can I open my mind?
I thought,
desperately needing our circle.

“Please,” his voice was husky, his body
tense. I placed my hands over his heart. It gave me pleasure to see
his response to my power, and then to watch his reaction as I
received his emotions. My mind focused on just this, until I could
feel his energy cycle back through. I hadn’t realized how the
stress of our arrival had drained him.

“What happened in the hallway?”

“The queen has forbidden you to be in my
chambers. I told her guard that these are my quarters and I am a
man. You are my future mate and you will stay where I say you will
stay,” he growled.

“As you know, Elias and Elaine, as my leader
of the guard and his mate, are allowed in my quarters to attend my
needs. When we receive our soul stone, the bedroom becomes our
sanctuary. No one may enter unless the owner gives permission. I
have never given my mother or Mia permission to enter this room;
you are the only one allowed on this level. The guard questioned my
authority, and Elias at this moment is ordering him to the outer
post on the other side of the portal. Insubordination is not
allowed. I am the future King of the Alfar, and I will not be
doubted,” his voice rose with aggression.

I realized there was a side to Gavin that I
had not seen. I never doubted his abilities, but it was a little
humbling to feel the power he could wield. It was my hope he would
lead with compassion and empathy. I had no idea how his mother
ruled, but I had a feeling it was more like an iron fist. He smiled
a little as he heard my thoughts.

“She has been the queen for many years. She
is simply trying to protect her kingdom, and she views you as a
threat. Once she meets you, she will change her mind,” he said,
giving my shoulders a reassuring hug.

“I have been summoned to meet with the queen
alone. I will abide by her request this one time. You will meet her
tomorrow, and then we will deal with Mia.” My stomach flipped.
Meeting your future in-law was supposed to be intimidating, but
meeting a queen made it quite another matter all together.

Fear momentarily reigned, and I opened the
circle as wide as it would go. I held him recklessly close, trying
to connect with him on every level. He would go to her with his
eyes glowing. She would see his strength and his happiness, and she
would know that I am good for him. I was determined. The newly
nested webs blazed around us, raising the temperature in the room
at least twenty degrees. Gavin startled; his eyes momentarily
blanked.

“Tell them to go away.” I whispered,
playfully biting his earlobe. He smiled, and put a few inches
between us.

“That might be counterproductive at the
moment. I will speak with my mother and then we will have a late
dinner in bed.” He grinned as he caught my hand surreptitiously
trying to make its way between the buttons of his shirt. He winked,
kissing my palm and placing it on my lap.

“Could you ask Rena to meet me downstairs and
bring some things for creative play?” I finally subsided.

“Anything you wish, my lady,” he murmured,
and I sighed. He really was the only one who should ever call me
that. I loved it when he said it, but it rankled a bit when the
others addressed me so formally. Must be the intent, I thought. I
literally was
his
lady. His arms wrapped tightly around my
waist.

“Don’t ever forget it,” he whispered, and I
giggled.

Alone in his room, I finally had a chance to
take in the décor. The walls stood three stories tall, and I
marveled as I felt the smooth, cool stone. Cinnamon curtains
cascaded from ceiling to floor along the wall facing the bed. I
wandered around the vast space finding the lack of art odd. The
only two pieces in the room were my sculpture and one tableau. As I
drew near, my heart skipped a beat. The castle took up the center
of the canvas; a herd of unicorns grazed to the left. The forest
beyond seemed as if each leaf rejoiced in its spot. I had only seen
such incredible detail on a mural in North Carolina. Tears blurred
my vision for a moment, and I once again wished for the opportunity
to meet the man who meant so much to Gavin and Edna.

The closet’s entrance lay hidden behind a set
of matching curtains just beyond the great landscape, giving the
room balance. My stomach filled with butterflies as I pulled back
the material. One side was already mine and was full of new
clothes.

Changing into a deep sapphire blue, I let my
hair fall down my back in waves. The new shinier blond had grown
quite a bit and now hung almost to my waist. A knock softly echoed
in the room, and I skipped over to open the door.

“What’s on the agenda for creative play this
evening, my lady?” I asked, watching Rena mischievously grin.

“I thought with your new and improved elf
parts, as you put it, you might want to indulge in more complicated
forms of art.”

“What else is there?” I chided as we walked
down the three flights of wide stone stairs. In the center of the
great chamber stood two blocks of marble.

“Really?”

Her laughter echoed, as she patted my
hand.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” I
asked, now truly concerned.

“Nora, where is your adventurous spirit? All
of my instincts tell me you can do this. Your conversations with
the tree proved you are more powerful than even you know. I believe
the marble will bend to your will as it does the stone carvers of
our world. It is a gift, but if it doesn’t work I’ll pummel the
marble to dust before Gavin gets here.”

I rolled my eyes. “Okay, what do I need to
do?”

“You can talk with the stone as you would the
tree or the lake. When you run your hands over its surface, imagine
what it is you would like to sculpt and press on the stone where
you would like an indentation. Let your mind create
with your
shield up
and try. If it doesn’t work, I will carry it to the
hallway, Gavin can take it to your quarters, and you can try again
with your mind open, as you would say. I have a feeling you will be
able to do it with fog. Try and see, but remember—it is often
easier in this medium to sculpt a unicorn than an apple if you are
truly enamored by them—the stronger the intent, the better the
sculpture.” She smiled encouragingly.

Running my fingers over the marble, I stood
there amazed. The hard stone warmed and turned to clay under my
touch. Gavin was always my subject, but what to sculpt?

Intuition rang out, and my hands started to
work the marble with a frenzy. I kept my shield at Rena’s fog
level, understanding now why she had specifically reminded me. If I
opened my mind, this would go a lot faster. But the simple joy of
creating took hold, and I lost time expending energy in the
moment.

Two hands emerged out of the base of the
stone, palm-to-palm, folded together. One was notably smaller with
a faceted square ring; the larger hand was very smooth and held a
simple band on the third finger. I would claim Gavin as he would
claim me, and the joy of it filled my heart. I wanted my devotion
to show in this piece as well, and his soul stone took shape around
the smaller wrist.

Going over and over the piece, rubbing the
surface with thoughts of love and our future, I continued until it
was almost hot to the touch. The marble was so smooth it looked
like glass.

“Nora, your purity runs through your art as
well as your spirit. We will start again tomorrow, but now, my
lady, I must take leave. Have the prince send for me if you have
need.” Rena’s alarmed whisper sent fear running down my spine. I
held onto her arm.

“You once gave an oath you would tell me
everything you knew pertinent to assure my survival and to assist
in the protection of your prince. If anything falls into that
category, please tell me.” Her emotions were pensive.

“I will keep my oath, but this is not mine to
share, Nora of Light. Both you and Gavin are safe. Good night and
God’s peace,” she said, and she bowed and departed, taking her
sculpture of the lake’s great wave with her.

Carefully lifting the hands from the table, I
found I could carry them, though they were heavy. Pushing the door
open with my knee, I set the sculpture on the dresser.